Bot

A bot is a computer program which acts automatically. It may do things that a person wouldn't normally do, or take a long time to do. It is an automated or semi-automated tool or script. They may be simple, or advanced and complex:

Software agents acts for a user doing things which the user programs it for.[1] Software agents which interact with people (such as chatbots) have features which make this possible, such as natural language processing.

Societies are going through a rapid learning process at present. The freedom of bots to mine data is challenged. By mining data is meant collecting information about use, and about users, so as to advance some commercial or other purpose. In the European Union, for example, bots must now ask for permission to mine data from users. Before, they could collect any data they liked from users inorder to promote the welfare of the companies that used them.